Hermione muttered something, then turned her face back into the pillow as Severus extracted himself from their tangle of limbs and blankets. He tucked her back in, brushing the hair away from her face tenderly, then shrugged on his robe. "Take care of her, old man," he instructed Crookshanks, lounging on the chair next to the dresser, before he left the room.
His feet led him very confidently down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his hands began the ritual of morning tea. Morning tea, he could not function without it. It was the lightning bolt for his Frankenstein's monster. He wasn't alive without it. Hermione didn't understand this, and teased him for it, but woe befall her if he ever had to skip his tea. There was certainly no teasing then.
Only when the first steaming sip was on his lips, in his mouth, and on the way down did his brain finally tune in to the world around him. It was a wondrous moment, just sitting in the quiet kitchen with a cup of hot tea, all to himself. No regrets for having left Hogwarts then, down in the dungeons, putting up with all the noise, the chattering of the other teachers, clamor of the students...
Hogwarts had never been his home, not like this was. Especially not now.
"Zaichik?"
The teacup flew out of Severus' hand and shattered on the floor. "Merlin's beard, you scared the hell out of me!" he snapped.
"Is that any way to talk to your babushka?"
"If she nearly gives me a heart attack, I think it's perfectly acceptable." Severus rose smoothly from the chair and crossed the room. He embraced the woman in the doorway. "What brings you here?"
The woman stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "Severus Snape, it is the holidays, and you ask a question like that? Shame on you. You've been alone too long; you need the company."
He tried to stop the guilt from showing in his eyes, and was either successful, or the woman had the good grace not to acknowledge it. "Would you like some tea?"
"Of course. We have over a year to catch up on since you never write me."
"You don't write me either."
"What man wants his doddering old grandmother sending him letters? People will think I'm your mistress."
Severus couldn't help but laugh at that as he retrieved another cup. "I very much doubt that. No one is interested in my personal affairs, and you know how difficult it is to locate this place. There is no one privy to any personal information I do not wish to give them." With a pair of cups, the tea, and the pot hovering next to him, he suggested, "Why don't we sit in the other room?"
"At least you remember how to be polite."
"I've never forgotten. I simply choose not to be most of the time. Babushka, you know what other people think of me. Why should I--"
"Because you're better than they are, zaichik. Never let another man's pettiness become your own. It was bad enough with those rotten little boys in school, I won't have you acting that way now."
He rolled his eyes. "That was almost 35 years ago."
The woman stopped, turned and glared at him. "Do not roll your eyes at me, young man. If I remember correctly, you were the one that was almost heartbroken when you were teaching when that other boy returned."
"And that was over ten years ago, and I would hardly consider Remus Lupin a boy." Standing straight, looking as dignified as possible in his dressing gown, Severus said, "Besides, I was not heartbroken. I was distressed by the danger he presented to the students and the school."
His grandmother snorted. "You can make up all the stories you want to fool other people, zaichik, but you can't fool me." She waited, taking in the hurt look on his face, then said gently, "You know you can talk to me about anything, whenever you need to. Those boys don't ever need to haunt you again."
"I... I know."
The tea waited silently for the scene to pass, which it did, and the two took their leave to the sitting room. The tea allowed the damaged feelings to smooth over before they began talking once more.
"I would have been here earlier, Severus, but I was detained. I didn't want you to spend Christmas alone."
Not drinking his tea, just staring into it, Severus mentally composed his answer. "I didn't spend it alone, Babushka."
"No? Did you go to the school? I remember how much you held Albus Dumbledore in esteem."
"I spent it here."
"Then why don't you tell me straight out what you're desperately trying to avoid, zaichik?" Her eyes narrowed.
Avoiding that gaze, Severus smiled slightly as he looked at his bare feet. "I... I'm engaged."
"To be married?"
"Of course. In what other manner would I be engaged?" he snapped irritably at the complete disbelief in her voice.
She was on her feet and pulling him to his own instantly. As she took him into a fierce hug, she whispered with equal intensity in his ear, "Oh God, zaichik, I'm so happy for you." Releasing him, she held him at arm's length. "Where is she? How long have you been shacking up with her? She's not pregnant, is she?"
"Upstairs, sleeping. Please don't call it 'shacking up'; it's a long story. And of course not. Your nerve continually astounds me."
"Well if the story is that long, then you had best start talking. I want all the details."
It was an hour later, as Severus was finally wrapping everything up with the giving of the ring ("White gold? Good taste must run in the family.") and the "plans" they had made. Not that they had really made any, but simply ending the entire tale with "And then we shagged like we were trying to outdo a field of horklumps" just didn't seem appropriate to tell his grandmother.
"Of course. It wouldn't be easy or standard with you. You like to torture this old woman, seeing how long I'll live before you finally settle down... Not forever, young man."
Severus rolled his eyes. "At least you're marginally more sane than Hermione's parents."
"Not every day does one see a small black snake turn into a full-grown man, Severus. You must remember to be more lenient with Muggles. Do you need lessons? I've made it a hobby." She smiled sweetly at his scowl.
"Her parents will manage. They accept Hermione for what she is, and beyond that it doesn't matter."
"What about my parents?"
Both the room's occupants stood and faced her. "They'll accept us and the life you choose to lead eventually," Severus said solemnly, looking absurd with his grave features in his dressing gown.
Hermione was too tired to stop herself and giggled. "I'm sorry," she said, and stifled a yawn. Briefly her eyes settled on the woman, and she could see in some of her features and the way she held herself this was a relative of his. "I'll just... freshen up?"
Severus nodded, his eyes glowing with warmth. This was obviously important to him. The woman nodded as well, eager and not afraid to show it.
"We'll just wait for you, dear."
That was enough to set Hermione on edge, as this woman was not only one of Severus' relatives, but one important enough to him to know about their engagement and visit him in his home without invitation. This was just as important as him meeting her parents, hopefully with less yelling. "I'll be right down," she said, bowing her head in a strangely formal fashion that came purely as instinct, and backed away.
She returned barely twenty minutes later, dispensing with much of the "prettifying" for this informal company. After already caught in her morning attire, it wouldn't matter to tart herself up now. Probably best not to tart herself up for any of Severus' relatives anyway. In fact, best not to tart herself up at all. Unless he asked her to, then it would be OK.
Fresh tea was waiting for her as she entered the sitting room. Again, they booth stood, which was strange, as Severus never did that when she came into a room or went to sit. Whether his actions now were some show for this woman, or because of simple respect, Hermione didn't know. The look on the woman's face though, Hermione thought she would find out exactly what prompted Severus' behavior.
With confidence in her step, Hermione strode forward. "I'm Hermione Granger."
Before the woman could speak, Severus said, solemnly once more, "This is my grandmother, Sonia Snape."
Hermione smiled tentatively, belying her nervousness, and put out her hand. "Hello."
"Now, zaichik, you left out all the interesting names." Her hand took Hermione's and gave it a firm pump as she smiled at the younger woman. "That's Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis Snape."
"That's not something to be proud of," Severus said, a bit darkly if Hermione was hearing him correctly.
"I certainly can't help that Muggle men are so short-lived or so unaccepting of the existence of magic. I would have stayed with your grandfather if he hadn't been so frightened of what I was... and his overbearing aunts." Her eyes, soft and affectionate at first, hardened to something Hermione was familiar with in Severus' eyes.
With a shake of his head, Severus turned away. "I'm sure I have more important things to do than listen to the family secrets be spread around. Please feel free to find me when you're finished." He walked away and was stopped in the doorway by his grandmother's voice.
"Richarda..."
His head and shoulders drooped. "These things make me uncomfortable. Dedushka and Ottsa will undoubtedly come up, and... I just can't bear to hear it again. You know what happened."
"I know. Things not even your grandfather could have dreamt. You go on, zaichik. We'll have lunch later," Sonia said very gently. The affection was shining very obviously in her eyes as she watched him go. "Now, where were we?" she said suddenly and turned her attention on Hermione.
"Er... maybe it's not--"
"Nonsense. If you're curious to hear the truth, I'm not unwilling to tell it." The old woman smiled, looking, if anything, like a strange cross between Minerva McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley. "Severus--you know of his past associations, correct?"
Hermione settled into the nearest chair, preparing for a bit of an extended chat. "The Death Eaters, you mean? Yes... and they're not exactly past."
The comment seemed to fly directly over Sonia's head. "That will make this much easier to explain then. Yes, my married name is Snape, and Severus' name is Snape, but only because my last husband adopted Severus' father." She smiled, and her face grew almost half a century younger with it. "Plutus Snape, a good man, but horribly prideful. His pride was what led him to his death, and that of my son."
"Oh! I really shouldn't be asking about it," Hermione said, seeing the weariness that was warring with the smile on the woman's face. "It's really not my business." Some tea would have been a godsend right then, anything to divert her attention a single mote.
Sonia smiled again, less brightly, but still affectionately. "Oh, I think you're entitled to know all the fringe benefits you get with the Snape family, my dear. Now sit back; I'm going to try this without skipping around--more difficult than you might think at my age.
"I was born in 1893, in Russia. I moved to the United States and married my first husband there. Yes, he was a Muggle, and no, he didn't know I was a witch." She grinned, showing her even, white teeth. "I did so have a fondness for them; it's really my one weakness. But he died, and being the indomitable witch I am, I took my daughter and settled in the New York area. This was about 1920 or so... dates are a bit fuzzy, you understand."
Hermione nodded.
"I tried my hand in various Muggle pursuits, which was unnecessarily difficult as they were hesitant to accept a woman as anything other than a wife or mother. One of them proved to be... fruitful. Though I was no author of fiction myself, I was an avid reader, and I wrote critical articles, even started my own which gained the attention of some people. One of those turned out to be my second husband, Severus' grandfather. He was a brilliant man, but if there was ever a person born under a Grim, it was he. Howard and I were happy. I know we were. For the first time in years, he was healthy even though he lived in a city he hated, but after two years of comfortable living, things went horribly wrong.
"Howard wasn't very accepting of anything outside himself, if you understand what I mean." She gave Hermione a pointed look.
"He... found out you were a witch?"
"And that I was pregnant, and our financial state was in tatters, and his aunts pleaded with him to return to his home in Rhode Island..." A simple shrug. "We stayed married, as I don't think Howard could actually make himself believe the things he had learned. I forced the divorce a few years later. My daughter, fully grown and without magical powers--squib is such an ugly word, had moved on by this time, and it was left for Maxim and I to fend for ourselves. Maxim was Severus' father. I knew he would be a powerful wizard from a very young age.
"Powerful I could feel, and brilliant like his father, and in the end, doomed like his father too. But there I go again, getting events out of order.
"I married another Muggle, a very nice man, but I kept my secret this time carefully. Maxim was young enough that his education didn't need to begin right away. I was plagued with short marriages until I met Plutus... the advantage to marrying a wizard. After my husband died, I met Plutus, who cared nothing for bloodlines or purity, and accepted Maxim immediately. Our marriage lasted until his death at the age of 105 in 1970. Severus' first year at Hogwarts.
"But it's between the time I went to England with Plutus and his death that the whole of the wizarding world was turned upside down, and it seemed to take a root right in the middle of my family."
Hogwarts: A History didn't have anything on this. Hearing it straight from a survivor, a witness to Voldemort's rising... It was something most people would never speak of for whatever reason, though Hermione could only see the benefit in learning from the past. She found herself sitting a bit farther forward in her chair.
"Maxim grew up in England. There's nothing much to tell there. Plutus... he had money and power and influence. He was prideful and could be snobbish when he wanted. Naturally he was targeted by Voldemort. And Plutus Snape would never call anyone his master." A proud, defiant smile lit her face. "Especially a boy wizard with dreams of grandeur. He was no Ministry fan, but Voldemort was worse to him, to be someone's slave, follow unquestioningly... He would never do that." She shook her head, chuckling softly to herself. "Out of order again."
Hermione was starting to get a vague idea where this was going, but she didn't dare interrupt. She just nodded.
"Maxim went to school, to Hogwarts, without incident. He graduated, thank Merlin, before a young man named Tom Riddle started. It gives me nightmares to think he could have been a victim of that beast and his little chamber..."
"Because he's a half-blood," Hermione said before she could catch herself. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that, or it even matters. My parents are both non-magical, so I don't really--"
"Nonsense, dear. I know what you meant, and you're right. But Maxim's legal father was Plutus Snape, and no one in their right mind ever questioned Plutus Snape. Maxim had his entire future open for him with Plutus' influence at his back, and..." Sonia sighed then, and she showed her age at that moment with every line around her mouth and eyes. "He met a woman after he graduated. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but this one... she was weak-willed, and neither Plutus nor I approved of her. I know that sounds horrid of us, but we could see what Maxim couldn't." She leaned forward just as Hermione was. "This girl was damaged. She wasn't right, but she used every charm at her disposal to claim Maxim's heart."
"Severus' mother?"
"Gavenia Snape. We were not exactly pleased to have her take the name, but we would not be so petty as to deny the two of them and lose Maxim to her completely. Maxim was not easily wooed, we knew, and that his attraction to her went deeper than her looks and physical charms. Gavenia was smart, you see, clever. That was why Maxim was so taken with her, and why we could not easily dismiss her."
"She... was a follower of Voldemort? So soon after he--"
"Voldemort had his followers even in school. He was charming, a good student, and smart enough to cover his tracks. Oh, to sing the praises of an evil man..." Tears welled up in her eyes suddenly, and she looked away. "Maxim married Gavenia, and in 1958, she gave birth to what was to be her offering to Voldemort. Poor Maxim was too distracted to see what was happening, or he desperately didn't want to see. I must be boring you with all this." She looked at Hermione, and Hermione was stunned by the horribly stricken look on the woman's face.
"No, not at all." It came out as a whisper.
"It's so easy for him to reach us through our families. I would not let her give a baby, any baby, to Voldemort, let alone my grandson. Plutus was killed the year Severus went to school, and then Maxim followed. Enraged at the death of his father, the betrayal of his wife, the intended sacrifice of his son, he held nothing back. In the end, I was the only family he had left; his father and grandfather killed by Voldemort, and his mother killed by his father because of her allegiance to Voldemort. You can see why he didn't want to stay and listen, all the misery that monster has put him through..."
So, Plutus Snape refused to throw his hand in with Voldemort, even though he... "Did you know," Hermione asked suddenly, "Gavenia was one of Voldemort's supporters before she..."
"No, not until after. I didn't even find out about her plans for Severus until much later; I never heard it from her own lying lips. I was so angry, and when Alastor--"
"Moody?"
"Yes, him. I met him after he had found some information out from some apprehended Death Eaters, and he told me about the practice of offering children to Voldemort for... whatever they might be needed for."
So, Plutus Snape refused Voldemort, his son then became involved with one of Voldemort's supporters unknowingly. The exact chronology was a bit muddled, but the big picture was fairly clear. Severus was born and was to be... offered to Voldemort--when he was older? For what? His first year of school--assuming the harassment of Plutus and Sonia Snape continued in the time between--his grandfather was murdered, his father, in a rage and apparently learning of his wife's loyalties, killed her and... confronted Vodlemort? Death Eaters? Whatever he did, he was murdered in turn. "So, if most of Severus' family was murdered with involvement by Voldemort, why did he become a Death Eater?"
Sonia sat back in the chair, looking very much her age and drained. She still managed to smile at Hermione. "That, my dear, is something you should ask Severus. He's told me, but I think it will help him more if he tells you directly."
Hermione's mind was working rapidly on the subject already. Revenge? Coerced? Blackmailed? Followed more in his mother's footsteps than his father's? A simple deathwish maybe... That was not too far from believable.
"It's best just to ask him; you'll hurt yourself trying to puzzle out his motivations," Sonia said gently, and smiled, the weariness in her face being removed smoothly and quickly.
Hermione flushed. "Of course. I should know better by now."
With a laugh, Sonia sat up. "I'm afraid you have genetics to blame on that. His father and grandfather were both like that; I don't think he'll ever change that aspect of himself. Though I can see you've managed to curb his more self-destructive habits. I have to thank you for that."
Still blushing, Hermione shook her head. "I didn't do anything." She fiddled with a loose button on her robes. "He wouldn't let me--"
"Oh no, he wouldn't let anyone, of that you're right. He'd change for you though." There was a pause, in which Sonia watched Hermione do anything other than look her in the eyes. "That's a nice ring you have," she continued softly, and shook her head when the younger woman tucked her hand from view. "Don't hide it; it's lovely. May I see?"
With a strained, self-conscious laugh, Hermione held out her hand. The metal shined lustily in the sunlight streaming through the window. When Sonia took her hand, it was like warm, supple parchment on her skin. She could very acutely imagine Severus' hands feeling like this when he grew older. "Can I ask... how old are you?"
"Once you reach my age," Sonia said, gazing at the ring, "it's not a crime. I'm past caring. In fact," she looked at Hermione with a pleased sparkle in her eye, "you could even ask me how much I weigh."
That snapped the lingering tension, and they both laughed.
"I'll be 126 this year. I feel every second of it too. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And if you would return the courtesy?"
"Oh, yes, I'm 29. And if I'm feeling it now, I don't know if I want to see 100." Morbid, perhaps, but with everything she'd been through, there were days she felt like she was three times that age.
Apparently done inspecting the ring, Sonia patted Hermione's hand and released it. "You'll help each other along. Don't you worry." There was a sudden shift in gears that left Hermione reeling. "Now, as for your wedding, how many people will be there?"
"Uh..."
"I know many young witches now prefer a small, intimate wedding--"
Hermione nodded, grateful for that concession.
"--but really, a hundred people is much too small to properly wed. What?"
With frightening speed, Hermione's face was turning a bright red and her mouth was hanging open. "One hundred?"
"Naturally. I prefer the larger affairs myself. I attended one of a friend in 1976 that had over a thousand guests. Oh, those sinful 70's..."
Hermione sputtered.
"I realize one thousand is a bit unrealistic now, but you can see how even a three hundred would be so much better than just a hundred guests. I'm all for intimate, but that's not doing justice to the occasion." She seemed utterly oblivious to the strange contortions Hermione's face was going through.
"NO!"
"As I said, one thousa--"
"Not a thousand, not a hundred, not even twenty! My life is not a public spectacle!" Hermione barked, and immediately felt shame at the way she was treating this woman. "I just..." She looked away, frowning.
"Just as well, most likely. Severus would never stand for more attendees than necessary anyway." Sonia looked thoughtfully at the girl. Lord, she's not a girl... you're just old.
"I don't really know that many people to be inviting to a wedding anyway," Hermione continued quietly, and now she was looking at her hands. Fingers clutched at one another. "I haven't kept in touch with most of the people I knew in school, and I have only a couple people at the Ministry I would invite. My parents, of course, you, Dumbledore... That's not very many."
"It's enough, dear. Now I know that story Severus gave me was a load of griffin dung; I'm very sure you two didn't make any plans." She looked at Hermione down her nose. "Did you?"
This woman could be worse than her mother, and Hermione was forced to look away. "No..."
"Then it's something that needs to be done. Unless Severus has miraculously become a new person, which I doubt, then he won't want any part in these preparations. You're going to take responsibility for everything?"
Unspoken: if Severus hates it, it'll be all your fault. Hermione nodded. "The fact is, neither of us want anything that requires preparations. I would be embarrassed and he would be... displeased," she said, braving the older woman's gaze briefly. "This is not something I'm willing to negotiate or even discuss."
Sonia pursed her lips, looking thoroughly disapproving.
"We got into a fight over a joke before, about children, so I'm not willing to even broach this topic with him. He'll say no, and then he'll get annoyed thinking that I want it." Hermione was ready to go on, but the drawn look Sonia was giving her was unnerving. "What?"
"You're not...? No children?" she whispered.
Something in Hermione clenched at this reaction. Bad, very bad. She couldn't bring herself to speak, only shake her head.
"Whyever not? You're young, not even 30. There's no reason not to!"
The tightness in Hermione's chest snapped at those words and was replaced by a warm rush of anger. "There is most certainly a reason not to! It is both my own and Severus' wish not to have children. There is no better reason."
A look of horror slowly dawned on the woman's face at the realization Hermione was perfectly serious about it.
Almost violently that clenching returned, and Hermione felt the urgent need to somehow justify her reasoning. She had nothing though, that this woman would accept, to do so. Except... Stupid, illogical pity card. "I... I had an accident," she began hesitantly, her brow furrowing. This was something she had never told anyone about, not even her parents. "I was... attacked, and there was..." The words still reverberated in her head. "Scarring. Internally. On my--"
She was engulfed in a hug, and as if the news were fresh yesterday to her, silent tears started. So stupid. She didn't want children, not really. However, it had been her choice, and Severus'. To know it had been made for her by some despicable, cowardly ass... The confession poured forth. "I never had a choice," she whispered, and clutched at the older woman's robes.
Through a tide of soothing noises, Sonia assured her, "It's all right, dear. Don't mind a stubborn old woman. Whatever your decision is fine with me, and this isn't your fault. Forgive me for being an insensitive hag."
"I'm sorry, so sorry..."
"No, don't apologize. Never apologize for being who you are or living your life the way you want to."
Hermione laughed through her tears and felt distinctly unhinged from reality. "My parents will react the same way; I should get used to it. They're not happy with anything I've done so far."
"So far?" She leaned back and looked at Hermione very seriously, the most serious since she had arrived. "You are an adult now. You've made a life for yourself. A good life. If they're not happy now, they'll never be. You hear me?"
A faint nod.
"Good, because I know my life thread is dwindling, and I don't want to see my new granddaughter, married to the man who has been in essence my son for almost 40 years and has been my life..." She smiled, half warmth and half faint amusement. "I don't want to see anymore of this," she said, and wiped away the tears from one of Hermione's cheeks. "I know you're smart enough to understand simple math. You've heard if a equals b and b equals c, then a equals c?"
Hermione nodded again, firmer this time.
"When Severus hurts, I hurt. When you hurt, Severus hurts. And so when you hurt, I hurt. But don't think," Sonia added quickly, "that only how you affect Severus motivates my feelings." She smiled ruefully and shook her head. "I'm too old for this runaround. Take care of him, and if you ever need anything you can ask me for it, even if it's just to talk... assuming we can actually speak on the same level." A quick wink. "A century isn't so hard to overcome is it? A tiny gap in cultures."
That raised a curl at the corners of Hermione's mouth. "No, not hard."
"Good. Now, why don't we get Severus? He's probably tired himself out being bored. I think this is enough angst in one day for anyone."
They both stood, but before they had reached the doorway, Sonia took Hermione by the elbow. "There is one thing I have to teach you, and when you decide to use it, I know Severus will appreciate it. He'll also know exactly where you got it." The grin she let loose was infectious.
"What is it?" Hermione asked eagerly.
"Kladka. It's tradition."
"The woman is already horrified; if I try and give them money, she'll think I'm preparing her daughter for a life of prostitution!" Protested he had, but when his grandmother had started to drag out the old traditions, Severus couldn't allow Hermione to be helpless against that tide.
"It's only a few galleons, Severus. They'll understand."
"I'm not so sure. And if you think we'll be spending that night in a cattle shed, you are mistaken."
That brought a laugh from Sonia and a confused look from Hermione. "Nonsense. I'm no farmer, and I have no fear for..." She cleared her throat suddenly. "It's just some small things, nothing to invade on your privacy or make a spectacle of yourselves. Not even the ritual bath."
Severus made a sour face. "Thank you."
"If you think it would help, I would be willing to present it to them, along with an explanation." She smiled warmly at Hermione. "And braid your hair, if you would allow it."
Not having a clue as to the meaning of it all, Hermione nodded. "Sure."
"And you'll wear the robes, Severus," Sonia said, still smiling at Hermione.
"I will certainly not! Those things are an abomination!"
Right away, Sonia started laughing, and at the look on Severus' face, Hermione did too. She didn't know what exactly the robes were, but his reaction was enough. If the mere mention of them was enough to make his face turn that color, actually wearing them would probably kill him, and she couldn't abide by that.
"Stop laughing!" he barked, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists on the table. "Stop!"
Hermione could read the warning signs and curbed her laughter immediately. Her hands settled over his fists and squeezed gently. "Don't get upset; it was a joke. Relax."
Pulling his hands away, Severus stood and glared at the two women. "I will not be humiliated! I will not be laughed at!" He turned with such violence, his chair toppled over, and he fled the room. Normally silent, to hear his footsteps on the staircase was just... It couldn't be happening.
Standing as well, Hermione looked at Sonia. "I'm thinking the middle of January. The sooner this is done with, the better." Then she was off as well, hurrying to follow his retreat.
Sonia just shook her head. He had changed, but not quite that much yet. Not a good way to start wedding planning.
Upstairs, Hermione shut the bedroom door and put locking and silencing charms on it. Some things needed to be kept private, no matter how close the family was. "It was a joke," she said quietly, standing with her back against the door. "Do you hear me?"
He didn't answer, but at least he hadn't transfigured into a snake again. No, he was still quite human and on the bed with his back to her.
Hermione smiled briefly. She knew what to do in this situation, just as he had done before.
Silence in the room until the bed springs protested with her now considerable weight on them. She stood over him for a moment, and when he did not react to her presence at all, she lowered herself to her side so that one massive paw was draped over his shoulder and her hind leg was over his. Wiggling in a way she'd never seen a cat move, not even Crookshanks, she folded her legs so she was able to press herself to him.
Soft, white, furry belly to his straightened back, covered and pinned down by her legs, she inhaled his scent and closed her eyes.
A feathery touch traced the delicate bones of one toe. "Do you realize how frightened I am?" he asked quietly, running his fingers across her paw. "This is the last thing I want to be ruined; I shouldn't even be there. I don't understand why you would ever accept my ring."
With a sigh, sending his hair fluttering, Hermione just relaxed. Experience had taught her that should could give no adequate answer to his questions.
"I have never understood why you tolerate me, and though I desperately want to, I don't believe I ever shall. I love you, and I love my grandmother, but..." He swallowed, and his hand tightened on her leg. "I won't do this if it's going to be a joke."
The leg in his grasp shortened and became furless and slim, human and delicate. Instead of heavy, humid breath on his neck, there was a soft voice in his ear. "It's not a joke to me. It never will be."
Tension began to flow out of Severus, and he relaxed in her grasp.
"Will you tell me about these robes?" she asked, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it.
"No."
"Will you tell me why you became a Death Eater?" To her surprise, he did not tense as she had expected.
"No, Hermione. I won't tell you that. It's too ugly, something I hate myself for, and I don't want--"
"I won't hate you for it."
"You have more confidence than I do then."
"You'll tell me one day," Hermione said, holding his hand with a strength she hoped was reassuring, "and I won't abandon you for it." She kissed the side of his neck, right on the jugular at the corner of his jaw. "Now tell me something else."
"What?" There was a raw edge to his voice, and hesitancy.
"What's this ritual bath that you don't want to take?"
"I don't take it; you take it."
"And what's so bad about that?"
"Then I have to drink the water."
"Oh, yuck."
"What you wear isn't important. You're not required to wear white, and I lean somewhat towards the idea that white for a wedding is rather macabre. Consider, the bride is leaving behind her entire life, even her family name, and everyone wears white in celebration of it. Not that I think brides should be wearing black, but I don't believe in ritual white. Neither does Severus," Sonia said completely seriously.
Hermione laughed. "I hadn't planned on anything special really. It does seem a bit ludicrous to spend so much money on something only a few people will see. Dressing up for the sake of doing it. Severus doesn't believe in that either."
"If you're done mocking my wardrobe, can we discuss the important details of this?" Severus asked, and fixed both women with a darkly intense gaze.
"Yes, professor," they said in unison, and burst into gales of laughter.
"Oh, for the love of Merlin. Please. You are still aware we have to break this with all gentility to the esteemed Mr. and Mrs. Granger, are you not?"
The color drained from Hermione's face and her laughing turned into a hacking cough. "My mother will just... I don't know, but it won't be pleasant. And I have to admit, I think Severus is right about the--what did you call it?"
"Kladka?"
"Yes, that. She won't understand because she--"
"Then I think we should go and find out," Sonia said evenly, standing from the table. "Don't you?"
Hermione glanced nervously at Severus, and noted that appeared just as reluctant about this. "Right now?"
"Of course! Come along, children." She held out her arms, inviting them to take their places within them. "We'll go, speak to them about everything, and have it all done with in one swift blow that they'll never see coming."
"Just as long as they won't need to be obliviated."
Sonia looked immediately to her grandson. "Severus..."
"It was one obliviate. One obliviate won't hurt. I've been obliviated before, and--stop laughing."
With some emotional preparation, Hermione declared herself ready, and all three of them traveled to the home of the Grangers.
The afternoon passed in a blur for Hermione, and the only thing she was really sure of was the look of disbelief on her mother's face when the news broke. Fear had flooded her, that her mother would reject her then, but that stunned expression had kept.
Even as the kladka was handed over to her father (along with the explanation from Sonia), and then the portkey they would use to get to the house before the wedding, Hermione's mother was unreactive.
Roger--though Hermione never referred to him by his first name--hugged his daughter, told her to behave, shook Severus' hand and told him the same, and wished them luck.
"Mum?" Hermione said softly. "Mum, we're leaving now. You're not mad are you?"
"You're getting married?"
"Yes, Mum."
"When did you grow up?"
Somehow Hermione held her happy tears back. "I'll talk to you soon, Mum. Don't worry."
That day was the point at which time sped forward. No longer did Hermione measure her time in minutes and hours... days rushed away from her, feeling even more brief at the sheer amount of tasks she had to do. Invitations, the dinner-reception, the gathering at the house, the rings... Naturally Severus was of no help, not that she was surprised.
Sonia was a life-saver, visiting regularly to assist her in whatever she needed, because before she was really aware of it, it was the night before the ceremony.
"Get some sleep tonight, dear. I'll be here in the morning to help you," Sonia said, and kissed Hermione's forehead.
"Thank you." Hermione watched the woman retreat to the guest room, pausing to scratch Crookshanks under his chin, then entering the room and shutting the door.
"My soon-to-be wife," a voice behind her whispered, and a pair of arms encircled her waist. "I believe it's time for your ritual bath."
"I'm not kissing you after you drink the water." She allowed him to pull her backwards to their own bedroom.
"I thought, instead of drinking the water, I would just share it with you."
Hermione shut the door as they passed into the room. "I don't know. Maybe you should consult your grandmother to see if this is an acceptable alteration to the ritual bath."
"I know her well enough to say she'll approve." His hands moved up from her waist to begin undoing the buttons of her robes, and her kissed down her neck.
A high-pitched giggle/squeal escaped when he hit a particularly sensitive spot below her neck. "Let me at least do a silencing charm," she gasped, fumbling for her wand.
"Who cares. Let her hear," he growled, and tossed her wand away before continuing with her robes.
Hermione's hair had just been finished and now hung in two wide plaits down her back as her parents suddenly appeared in the main room. "Mum! Dad!" She hugged them in turn and gestured them to sit. "I'll get some tea. There's still an hour before we need to go see the magistrate." Skillfully she ignored her mother's tutting and went to make some quick tea.
Her parents were the only ones they were supposed to see before the ceremony; the rest would simply meet them at the office, and then return as a group to the house. It had been surprisingly, suspiciously even, easy to get Severus to agree to having this gathering, especially with her guest list. It consisted almost solely of her invitees.
Outside of Sonia, and Dumbledore as a mutual invite, he had requested the presence of only two others, and he hadn't told her who they were. As much as she wanted to, she didn't expect that they would be surprise guests for her benefit, and avoided considering why they might be there as often as possible.
The tea-based pleasantries went smoothly, even when Severus swept in, looking as intimidating as ever in his immaculate black robes, more austere than normal, saw the elder Grangers and swept out without a word.
"He's nervous," Hermione offered, and smiled as widely as she could through her own nerves.
"Understandable, considering," her father offered happily.
Her mother just scowled.
How was Hermione to explain how lovely she found him in those robes, making him appear to be without an ounce of human feeling or capability for emotion? He could be king of the world dressed like that, and his authority would never be questioned. Hermione knew her cheeks were beginning to redden with the way her thoughts were straying. Too bad she was firmly harnessed into her robes, or she would have followed him for a brief interlude.
"I suppose," Hermione started with some effort, dragging her mind back to the events at hand, "we should probably be on our way."
"An excellent idea. I've been waiting for today; I don't want to put it off any longer," her father said, and stood.
Hermione stood as well. This was it.
The crowd milled about, talking quietly, until there was a light chime to signal the ceremony was about to begin. The talking silenced, and the guests stood still, watching. They parted down the middle, taking sides almost instinctively. Dumbeldore, Sonia, the two utterly non-descript men in all black, and even Remus Lupin all moved to the left. The Grangers, Susan Bones, Ginny Weasley, and Minerva McGonagall all stepped to the right, leaving a very clear path down the middle.
The door opened at the slightest of Hermione's touches, and it took all her concentration to walk forward and not make a fool of herself in front of all these people. Whether it was from crying or running or just tripping, she concentrated on her steps, making sure each one was the same distance as the previous. She was very sure the intensity showed in her eyes as she locked her gaze on Severus.
He appeared as he had back in school: standing tall, back straight as a board, his expression carefully neutral, even uninterested, all except for his eyes. Those pierced her with an unrelenting fiery intensity that caused her to nearly stumble. But without a visible misstep, Hermione made it to the front of the room and stood next to Severus.
Willing herself to remain still and not fidget, Hermione focused on the magistrate in front of her. Not on the people behind her or the man next to her, or even herself. Serene. Be serene. For a brief moment, she wished she had the comfort of her cloak.
The magistrate spoke loudly and evenly. He did not rush, but neither did he drag his words out. "We are here today to join these two people in wedlock. Severus Ajax Snape, Hermione Portia Granger, you are here of your own free will, without coercion or magical influence, are you not?"
Severus answered first. "I am."
And then Hermione. "I am." The ring she held, his ring, was very warm and sweaty in her hand, and she silently wished she had left it in the box.
"If there are any here who have reason to believe there is dark magic at work here, then speak now." The magistrate paused, mostly for effect.
His answer was the blowing of a nose, and Hermione did her best to not giggle.
"Of your own free wills, present your rings and vows to one another."
Very evenly, Hermione breathed through her nose as first she placed the ring on his finger with a minimum of trembling, and then he did the same for her. With care she knew only from his hands, his newly-adorned right hand cradled her own.
Their hands clasped, Hermione looked into his eyes and said, "Non virgines viri, sed ipsoemet viros, quos et quando voluerunt, accipiebant."
Severus jerked back, looking surprised, and there was a ripple of light laughter from the contingent who were knowledgable in Latin.
Very slowly, his right eyebrow rose, and his eyes sparkled. "Saucy wench," he growled.
More laughter followed, and when that died down, the magistrate--appearing a bit bewildered at these "vows"--shrugged. "I declare this union legally binding in the presence of these witnesses. You may kiss."
They did so, and the others applauded wholeheartedly.
-------------
TBC
"It is not the men who choose the maids, but the maids themselves who take the husbands they like, and when they like."
Babushka: grandmother
Dedushka: grandfather
Ottsa: mother
Kladka: sort of a dowry, but more ceremonial
Zaichik: little bunny rabbit
Richarda: most faithful